8 NotSo Simple Rules for Having a Baby at 16
by YoshiStormtrooper01
Summary: LAST THREE CHAPTERS! I thought I'd repay you for having to wait so long by finishing the story. Three whole new chapters. YAY ME! Please R & R! I hope you guys like how it ends!
1. Chapter 1

"Oh, god, oh, god, this can't be freaking happening… not now…" Kerry Hennessy whispered to herself as she paced around her room, vigorously twisting the sleeve of her sweatshirt in her hand.

Kerry had just returned home from her summer in France. She was happy to be back home, she couldn't deny that, but something was deeply troubling her.

"I can't believe it… ooohh… mom's gonna kill me!" she thought as a single tear leaked down her cheek.

Footsteps hurrying up the stairs broke into Kerry's thoughts. Quickly wiping the tear from her cheek she sat down on her bed just as her bedroom door opened, and in walked her older sister Bridget. They shared a room, and Bridget was constantly walking in on Kerry as she was either changing or having a bad moment. She couldn't really expect Bridget to knock; it _was_ Bridget, after all.

"Hey, Kerry, how's it goin', Kerry, see ya later, Kerry- hey, what's wrong, Kerry?" Bridget walked in and grabbed her purse, but stopped mid-speed-sentence as she saw her sister's troubled face.

"What? Oh, nothing, I was just thinking, that's all…" Kerry replied, refusing to meet Bridget's eyes.

"Hey, I know that face! Something is up, and you're not gonna tell me!" Bridget knew her too well sometimes. Kerry hated the way that Bridget could read people so well; especially girls. "Fine!" Bridget cried, throwing her arms up in the air, her many bracelets falling almost past her elbows. "Don't tell me! But I, your mature older sister, will respect your privacy and not pry into your life anymore!" A loud yell form downstairs silenced Bridget.

"Oh, I gotta go! Jamie's-taking-me-and-Sarah-to-the-mall-so-we-can-spy-on-her-old-boyfriend-who-we-think-is-cheating-on-her-but-we-can't-be-sure-cause-he-acts-so-innocent-at-school-and-stuff, right, so-"

"Bridget, I would really find great joy in hearing the rest of your story about your unendingly fabulous life, but I really have my own problems to deal with. Just get the hell out and leave me alone," Kerry said, interrupting Bridget before she talked for twenty more minutes.

"Fine. But don't expect me to tell you what happened when I get home later," Bridget said as she walked out, closing the door behind her.

"I wouldn't want to hear about you and your annoyingly shallow friends spying on a boy, anyway! I have better things to do with my life!" Kerry screamed at Bridget from behind the door. She grabbed a pillow from her bed and, screaming, hurled it at the door. "God, my life sucks!" she caterwauled as she buried her face into another pillow and cried.

Two and a half hours later- "I'll take one of these, please," Kerry handed the cashier at the drug store the small pink box.

The cashier gave her a funny look and said in a heavy New York accent said, "Aren't you a little young for this thing, kid?"

"Just let me buy it! It's none of your business!" Kerry said, getting impatient. She needed to buy that. She just had to.

"Mmkay… that'll be five ninety-five, doll," the cashier said, ringing up her purchase.

"Ugh… here," Kerry threw a ten dollar bill at the cashier. "Keep the change," she called back over her shoulder as she grabbed the box and ran out of the store, taking curious stares from the other customers with her.

"Young children these days, hhmm?" the cashier said to the man behind Kerry as he put his purchases down.

"Yes, ma'am. I know exactly what you mean," he replied, smiling knowingly, a toothpick hanging out of his mouth.

"Ain't got no self-control, if they're buyin' that at such a young age…"

Back at the Hennessy house- Kerry was impatiently waiting outside the bathroom in her room for Bridget to finish.

"Come on, Bridget!" Kerry screamed, banging on the door with her fists. "You've been in there forever!"

"Why don't you kick me out of here like you did before?" Bridget replied, opening the door just enough to stick her head out. She was referring to when Kerry got angry earlier that afternoon. "We have, what, like, three other bathrooms in this house? Just go use one of those!"

"I can't!" Kerry exclaimed.

"And why can't you?"

"Because mom made that bean and beef stew for lunch and everyone's taking a crap!"

"Oh, that's right. Uh-uh, no, I'm never eating that again after what happened with dad that one time, it was like-"

"Bridget! Can I just use the bathroom? _Please?_ You look perfect!"

"Ha, I do, don't I?" Bridget said, stepping out of the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror next to the door. In that brief moment of Bridget's intense self-obsessiveness, Kerry slid past her into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.

"Hey! That wasn't fair!" Bridget cried, banging on the locked door.

"You gotta do what you gotta do, Bridg!" Kerry cried, smiling at how ditsy her sister could be at times. "Ah, the joy of tricking a dumb blonde," she thought to herself as she set the pink box down on the floor and grabbed a towel from the closet. She laid it out on the floor and began piling all of Bridget's beauty supplies on it. She tied the ends together in a tight knot that would keep Bridget busy for a few minutes, opened the door, yelled, "Hey, Bridget, fetch!", threw the bundle across the room, and then slammed and locked the door once more.

"Okay, now onto my test…" Kerry whispered to herself, rubbing her hands together. Bending down to pick up the box, she began to wonder if she really might be… nah, she was just being stupid. She had to find out, though.

Extracting the thing from the box, she took her test, and waited a few minutes before building up the nerve to look at it.

Raising a shaking hand, she held it up in front of her face. Within that moment, she knew her life would never be the same again.

Okay, from that last little paragraph, you can probably figure out what's up with Kerry. Also, the title of the story really gives it all away. This is my third in-progress story, so I'm going to have to be working triple-time to get them all posted. My other story is on It's the same company people as Please review!!!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Stay Calm-

Chapter Two: Stay Calm-

"Okay… don't panic…" Kerry was pacing her room again, crying.

"I'm home, kids!" Kerry's mother, Kate Hennessy, called up the stairs.

"Hi, mom!" Rory, the youngest of the Hennessy children called from his room. Poor Rory was the only boy out of all the Hennessys, but he wasn't the most annoying. Bridget had him beat in that category.

"Hey, mom!" Bridget called from the bathroom down the hall.

"Kerry, come here, sweetie, I need to talk to you!" Kate called up the stairs. Kerry froze in her tracks, her heart in her throat.

"How could she know? I can't believe she knows!" Kerry thought as she made her way down the hallway, hurriedly trying to rid her face of all trace of crying. "That's dumb, how _could_ she know? I haven't told her…" she reassured herself.

"Hey, mom," Kerry whispered as she stepped off the bottom step and into the living room.

"Oh, hi, Kerry. Come here, honey, I have something for you," Kate replied, sticking her arm down into the brown paper bag.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kerry thought, "Okay, good, she has no clue," and walked over to stand beside her mother.

"I developed your pictures from France while I was out, and I have to say, it was really beautiful there!" she said, handing her daughter the CVS Photo Shop envelope.

"Thanks…" Kerry said, looking at the envelope in her hand, unsure what to do.

"One question, though; who was that boy you took a picture with in front of the Eiffel Tower? You have quite a few of him in there," Kate asked, beginning to put the groceries away.

"You looked through my pictures without asking me?!" Kerry exploded. "I can't believe you!"

"Whoa, calm down, Kerry!" Kate exclaimed, holding out her arms, palms facing Kerry.

"I'm sorry, mom," Kerry replied a little shakily. "I'm just still tired from the time change, ya know? And you know me when I'm tired…"

"Yeah, I do. Now, who is he?" Kate persisted, poking the envelope in Kerry's hand.

"Um, his name is Bruno."

Ten Minutes Later-

"Oh, wow, look at that!" Rory said, pointing at one of Kerry's pictures of the French countryside. Everyone who lives in the Hennessy household, Kate, Bridget, Rory, C.J., and Jim (their grandfather) were all clustered around the coffee table in the living room, sifting through the pictures, all except for Kerry, who was sitting on a dining room chair, her face in her hands, waiting, teetering on the edge of patience and insanity. (Wow, what a run on sentence that was!)

"How did I let this happen?" she thought. She remembered back to half and hour ago, when her mother had asked her about her pictures. Then, as if someone had call cued them at the same time, her siblings, cousin, and grandfather had all come into the kitchen together, clambering to see her pictures.

"HEY!" Kerry cried, finally realizing she needed to be alone and think. Everyone stopped, looking up at Kerry. "Can I have my pictures back? Please?"

"Oh, we're sorry, Kerry," her mother said, packing the pictures back into the envelope. "We just got a little carried away. Well, here you go," Kate finished, and handed Kerry the envelope.

"Thank you," Kerry said, and made her way upstairs to her bedroom, shut her door behind her, and slammed down on her bed.

"Kerry! Yoo-hoo! You in there?" came a very obnoxious voice from outside the door.

"NO!" was Kerry's muffled reply, her face buried in a fluffy pillow.

"Hey, Ker!" Bridget said, a little too cheerfully as she came in the room. Right away, Kerry knew she wanted something; most likely information. "Why were you so pushy trying to get us away from those pictures? Was there something you didn't want us to seeeeeee?" Bridget exclaimed, playfully poking her little sister's sides.

"STOP IT!" Kerry cried, swinging her left arm around and slapping Bridget's upper arm.

"OW! That hurt! Why the hell are you so pissy?" Bridget yelped, whipping her arm away and rubbing the dark pink slap mark.

"God, I don't know! Hm, let's think, shall we?" Kerry replied sarcastically, putting a finger on her chin and pretended to be thinking hard. "For one, no one would let me see my pictures. Two, mom keeps bugging me about a guy in those pictures, three-"

"OOhhh, what guy?" Bridget interrupted, eyeing Kerry mischievously.

With a sudden swooping sensation in the pit of her stomach, she realized she had said too much. "No one, just some nice guy I met there, that's all," she said a little _too_ quickly, refusing to meet her sister's eyes.

"Nope, uh-uh, I think there's more to this story then you're letting on!" Bridget exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

"Ugh, it's _sick_ how she gets excited over crap like this," Kerry thought, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. "Okay, I'll tell you. But I've got to get mom first."

And that is the moment that sent Kerry Hennessy's world tumbling straight for hell.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three- Tell the Truth

Chapter Three- Tell the Truth

"I can't believe it!" Bridget whispered to Kerry, who was sitting across the room on her bed. Kerry had just told Bridget. And now, Bridget's brown (I think they're brown, correct me if I'm wrong…) eyes were round, and she was staring across the room at her little sister, whom she had always thought was the smart, sensible one. And now, with this incident, everything she thought she knew about her was completely erased.

"I…" Kerry struggled to find the right words to say, but, alas, she could find none.

"Mom is gonna _flip_ _out_ when you tell her!" Bridget exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"I- okay, just stop with the eyes!" Kerry yelled as Bridget's eyes grew, if possible, even larger, just to annoy her. "God, my hormones are already going crazy, you don't need to annoy me so much!"

"Girls, stop fighting!" Kate said as she came into the room. Turning to Kerry she said, "You wanted to talk to me, Kerry?" As she said that, Kerry could literally feel the blood draining out of her face.

"Oh, my g-, are you okay?" Kate yelped as she saw her youngest daughter's face turn impossibly white.

"Yeah- yeah, I'm fine."

"So, _did_ you want to talk to me?" Kate repeated, worry still etched all over her face.

"Mmhmm," said Kerry, and Kate went to go sit down next to Bridget.

"Well, what's up?"

"Um… this won't exactly be easy to tell you, but…" Kerry started, unsure of how to tell her mother the truth.

"Go on, Kerry, tell her," Bridget taunted, her eyes getting round _again_. Kerry screamed at her big sister and threw a pillow at her face.

"Hey, stop that!" Kate intervened just in time to stop Kerry from throwing herself onto Bridget and pummeling her. "Girls, you are _way_ out of control!"

Kerry tumbled back onto her bed, glaring at her sister. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she began to sob uncontrollably.

"Whoa, whoa! I didn't even hit you!" Bridget cried, backing up on her bed in an effort to get away from her weeping sister.

"What's wrong, Kerry?" Kate exclaimed, jumping up and rushing to her youngest daughter.

Turning her head around to look at Bridget, she mouthed "_what's wrong_," and began stroking Kerry's red hair.

Trying in a vain effort to catch her breath, Kerry tried to say, "I have to tell you something," but all that came out was a strangled "I haf-" and then she started crying again.

"Hey, what's up wit all da hullaballoo?" Cj exclaimed as he came bursting into the bedroom. "Bridget, what did you do to her?"

Raising her arms exasperatedly, Bridget started to defend herself. "I did absolutely nothing, it was all that guy's fault that she's preg-" Realizing too late what she said, Bridget covered her mouth with her hands.

"WHAT?" Kate cried, spinning around, her eyes wide.

Kerry snapped her head up and cried, "BRIDGET! What the hell, how could you?!"

"Wait, Kerry's pregnant?" Cj said, the ghost of a smile creeping onto his face.

"C.J., don't you DARE go blabbing about this until I know what's going on!" Kate cried, grabbing Cj's arm, pulling him inside the room, and locking the door behind him. "Now, SIT!" she yelled, pointing at the chair that was tucked under the girls' work desk.

"Okay, gosh, pull your claws back in…" Cj muttered as he took his seat.

"Mom, can I just-" Kerry started.

"Nah, let _me_ start by asking a few questions. First one- when the hell were you planning on telling me you were _pregnant_?"

"Mom, I was going to tell you just now when you came in, but I started crying and Cj and Bridget started yelling and _Bridget_-" As she said her sister's name, she peered over her mom's shoulder and glared angrily at her sister. "blabbed my little bit of info."

"Alright, fair enough. Second question- when did this happen?"

There was a moment of silence in which Cj snickered, and Bridget bit her lip, desperately trying to hide laughter.

"Bridget, go into my room, now," Kate said, pointing at the door.

"But mom-"

"I said NOW, Bridget," she repeated. "And you, too, Cj," she added as her nephew crossed his legs and settled down.

"What-" Cj stuttered as Bridget forcefully pulled him to his feet and out the door, slamming it behind them. Down the hall, mother and daughter heard another door slam.

"Alright, Kerry let's chat," Kate said, sitting down on the end of Bridget's messy bed. "When did this happen?"

"Um, well… it was in France over the summer…" she started, unsure of what to say.

"That's a start. What else?"

"His name was Bruno-"

"That boy in the pictures?" Kate asked, looking at the envelope of pictures that was now nestled in between jumbled notebooks on the desk.

"Yeah, him. Well, we met, and I thought he was a great guy. We had an epic romance, a great night, and…" Kerry trailed off, breaking down into sobs again.

"Oh, baby girl, ssssshhhhh, it'll be okay," Kate whispered comfortingly, embracing Kerry. "It'll be okay."

Okay, sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I've had to do, like, tons of work, I just had MCAS and stuff, and I'm still struggling to finish off a stupid science project… damn, I hate my science teacher… binomial nomenclature… I'll try to update again as soon as I can.


	4. Chapter 3 Part 2

Chapter Three/Part Two

It had been about two days since Kerry had told her mom that she was pregnant. They had told Rory after everything had been settled, and they made him promise not to tell anyone. Now, the only person left to tell was her grandfather, Jim.

"Mom, I am _not_ telling him!" Kerry whispered under her breath as they sat in the living room.

"Kerry, he's gonna find out sooner or later, so you mind as well tell him now!" Kate replied.

"Why can't _you_ tell him? He'll take it better from you!" complained Kerry.

Kate was silent for a moment, thinking. "Well, if you come with me when I do, I'll tell him for you," she finally agreed.

"Oh, yes, I love you, mom!" Kerry exclaimed, jumping up and hugging her mother around the neck.

"Agh, Kerry, you're choking me!" Kate cried, starting to laugh.

"What's all this about?" Jim asked as he shuffled into the room, the thudding of his cane on the floor suddenly the only noise to be heard in the room.

Kerry and Kate stood frozen, unsure of what to say.

"Now, I know you were talking about something important, because you suddenly stopped what you were doing when I entered the room," Jim said. For a few moments nobody said anything. "Katey, what's going on?" Jim asked his daughter directly, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Well… dad… um, you should probably sit down for this," Kate said rather quietly.

"Okay, then." Jim dropped himself into his chair, his cane leaning up against the arm.

Before her mother could say anything, Kerry stood up and said, "This news might come as a shock to you, and you, uh, might be a little angry, so I think I'll just take that…" Kerry walked over and took her grandpa's cane away from him. She knew him too well to let him have his cane near him when he gets angry.

"Is the news really that crazy that you have to take my cane from me?" Jim asked, already getting angry that his cane had been taken away.

"Yeah, dad. It is," Kate said. "Dad… Kerry is-"

"Good afternoon, everyone!" Bridget exclaimed as she walked through the front door.

"Bridget, go upstairs _now_!" Kate commanded, pointing at the stairs.

"Why, what are you-" She stopped herself as, finally, she realized what was going on. "Ooooohhh, you're telling him." There was a moment of silence, then- "Yeah, I'll be going now." She spun around, her blonde hair fanning out behind her, and she bounded away up the stairs.

"Bridget knows?" Jim asked.

"Yeah, dad, she does."

"Well, if she knows, it won't stay secret for long. Go ahead. Tell me."

"Okay, well, dad, Kerry… is…" Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Kerry is-"

"Grandpa, I'm pregnant," Kerry said, fed up with all the interruptions and the stalling.

"You're _what_?" Jim said, in shock from what he had just heard. "You're _pregnant_?"

"Yeah, grandpa, I am."

"Kerry, I thought you had more sense than that!" Jim cried, causing Kerry to start crying. Again.

"God, this is why I wanted _you_ to tell him, mom!" Kerry yelled as she ran out of the room and up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door behind her.

"Dad, you could have been a little more understanding about what she must be going through right now," Kate said, looking up the stairs after her daughter.

"Katey, why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Jim asked.

"I only found out two days ago! Bridget found out before I did! It was Kerry who wanted to wait to tell you!" explained Kate.

"Why would she wait to tell me?" Jim asked, obviously baffled by the idea that his granddaughter would wait to tell him such big news.

"Let's see, um, maybe because you just yelled at her for having no sense!"

Looking down at his hand clasped in his lap, Jim finally said, "You're right, Katey. I should have been more understanding of her. Oh, gosh, I can't believe she's actually _pregnant_. And here I was thinking that it would be Bridget first- Never mind," Jim stopped abruptly at the look on Kate's face.

"Yeah, I thought so." Kate turned her head to look up the stairs. "I'd better go and see if she's okay. She's been really hormonal lately. And I have a feeling that it's only going to get worse from here."

"Oh, great, a crankier Kerry. Just what we need around here," said Cj as he suddenly emerged from the basement doorway.

"Cj, how long have you been there?" Kate asked incredulously.

"Um, I came in somewhere between when Grandpa sat down and when Kerry took his cane away," replied Cj.

"So, pretty much the entire time, right?" Kate said, folding her hands in her lap.

"Uhhhhh… yeah, pretty much," said Cj, turning around and returning downstairs.

Five Minutes Later-

"Kerry, can I come in?" Kate called, knocking on her daughters' bedroom door.

"She won't open it," came a voice from Kate's left. Looking down to her left, Kate saw Bridget sitting, her head leaned back against the wall. "I was up here for ten minutes knocking and she wouldn't open."

"Kerry, come on, open up! I talked to Grandpa and he's okay with it!" Kate tried again.

"O-m-g, he's actually okay with it?" Bridget asked incredulously, standing up.

"Seriously?" whispered Kerry from behind the closed door. "He won't kill me if I walk downstairs for dinner?"

"Nah, I don't think so. He may give you the silent treatment for a while until he really gets used to the idea, but he'll come around," Kate replied. "Come on, Bridg, let's leave her alone," Kate said, grasping Bridget's arm and pulling her towards the stairs.

"But I need to get in my room!" Bridget complained as she was pulled down the hall.

"You can go in later! Let your sister have some time for herself!"

"Ugh, fine! Just let go of my arm," Bridget said, retrieving her arm from her mother's grasp.

Suddenly they heard a _click_ from behind them, and they turned around to see Kerry standing in the doorway, wearing her dad's favorite Michigan sweatshirt.

"Is dinner almost ready? I'm starving."


	5. Chapter 4 Part 1

**Okay, quick author's note- I need to know if you guys want Kerry's baby to be a girl or a boy, cause I'm havin a horrible time deciding. Tell me what you think it should be! Enjoy the update!**

Chapter Four Part One

"Okay, today at four… alright, thank you." The phone made a _click_ as it was shut off and put back on its stand. "Did you hear that, Kerry?" Kate asked as she turned away from the phone.

"Uh, yeah, today at four, right?" Kerry replied, licking the remains of a tub of yogurt from the bottom of an enormous bowl. "I really am not looking forward to going to that doctor's office… Now I want some Ramen. With hot sauce."

"God, Kerry, what else can you possibly eat? You've already eaten all of our yogurt, and heated up, what, like, five plates of pizza?" Bridget said, looking up from doing her make-up.

"Can I help it if I'm hungry?" Kerry said, buried in her work of discovering new and unusual ingredients to add to her Ramen noodles. "Damn it, where's that lemon juice?"

"Lemon juice? Ew, in Ramen? God, that's disgusting," Cj said as he came in the back door.

"And where have you been?" Kate asked, eyeing her nephew as he walked through the kitchen.

"Oh, I've been out," he replied mischievously.

Shaking her head, Kate turned her attention back towards Kerry and her noodle dilemma. "Mom, why don't we have any lemon juice?" she cried, standing up and slamming the fridge door.

"I don't know, Kerry, I guess we've just never really needed it."

"Oh, but I think we have some maple syrup in the cabinet up there if you wanna try something sweet with that hot sauce," Bridget said, snickering.

"Oh my god, why did I never think of that before? God, I'm dumb!" exclaimed Kerry, smacking her palm to her forehead and retrieving the syrup from its hiding place. "There we go," she said, dumping almost seventy-five percent of the syrup from the bottle into her bowl. Grabbing a pair of chopsticks she sat down and began shoveling her food into her mouth. "Oops, forgot the hot sauce!" The sticky brown noodles suddenly changed a bright shade of scarlet as the small red head poured an insane amount of hot sauce on her meal.

"If you keep eating like that, you'll throw up," Cj said, observing the way Kerry was eating her food.

"Yeah, you might want to stop before… never mind," Kate said, turning away from her gluttonous (**oooohhh, vocabulary word!!**) daughter.

Rory came bounding down the stairs, but stopped short when he saw (and smelled) what his sister was eating.

"Jeez, Kerry, why don't you eat a little more?" Rory said sarcastically. Turning to Bridget, he asked, "Hey, will you drive me to the mall? I promised I'd meet some friends there."

"Oh, definitely, anything to get away from pregnant woman over here eating her weight in gross Ramen," Bridget agreed, shooting a disgusted look at Kerry before grabbing the car keys and following her little brother out the back door. Kerry looked up and gave Bridget's back a stare that pretty much said "I hate you," and then continued eating.

Looking at her watch, Kate went and grabbed her coat as well as Kerry's.

"Come on, Kerry, we have to get going if we want to get to the doctor's office on time," Kate said, standing by the door and holding out Kerry's coat to her.

"Okay, mom, I'm coming."

Setting the empty bowl in the sink and slipping her shoes on, she took her coat from her mom and walked out the open front door.

"Dad, Cj, we'll be back in a few hours!" Kate called over her shoulder as she followed her daughter out the front door, closing it behind her.

Thirty Minutes Later-

"Kerry, go sit down," Kate instructed. Kerry shuffled over to one of the many chairs in the lobby at the doctor's office. A few women gave her strange looks as she sat down near them. The other women were older, far older than sixteen.

Kerry picked up a few of their hushed comments.

"Goodness, what is a sweet child like her doing in the maternity ward?" whispered one of the women.

"Kids these days…" whispered another.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Kerry closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall behind her.

Her mother sat down in the chair to her right, and dropped a clipboard with a form onto her lap.

"The receptionist says to fill these out," Kate said, taking off her coat.

"Yup…" Kerry mumbled, dragging her head back up in to a straight position. "First name… Kerry… last name… Hennessy… middle initial… M…" Kerry quickly scribbled down her information, and then brought the form and the clipboard back up to the receptionist.

"Thank you, honey," the woman said. "The doctor will be with you soon."

"Thanks," Kerry said, and sat back down in her chair. Picking up an _Us _celebrity magazine, she quickly flipped through the pages, desperate to find anything worth reading. Finding nothing, she dropped the magazine and returned her head to its former resting place on the wall.

Time seemed to travel very slowly, and when, at last, the doctor called her name, she was almost asleep.

"Kerry Hennessy?" called a woman dressed in a baggy nurse's outfit, her brown hair pulled back in a loose ponytail.

Kerry followed the woman down a hallway and into a room with plain white walls, two chairs, a desk, a sink, and no windows.

"If only Bridget could see the way this lady was dressed," Kerry thought, grinning.

"The doctor's on her way, Miss Hennessy. She's just finishing up with another patient."

"Alright," she replied emitting a huge yawn.

When the nurse walked out, Kerry turned to her mom, who had come into the room with her.

"Mom, will they be able to tell the sex of my baby yet?" Kerry asked. She saw her mom shudder visibly when she said "my baby." Rolling her eyes at Kate's childish behavior, Kerry waited for a response.

"Not yet, Kerry. It has to develop more," Kate replied.

"Oh, okay," Kerry said.

It did not take long for the doctor to arrive. She was a nice woman, probably in her mid-thirties, blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, and the whitest teeth Kerry had ever seen.

"Good afternoon, ladies. I'm Doctor Kaley Davidson **(whoa… weird)**," the doctor said, shaking Kerry's and Kate's hands in turn. Sitting down behind the desk, she began. "So, first of all, Kerry. How old are you?"

There was an awkward silence before Kerry said, "Um, I'll be seventeen in September."

"Okay." She made a little note on the paper in front of her. "How have you been feeling lately?"

"Oh, I've been feeling pretty normal. I've been eating a lot, which my sister never fails to nag me about, but other than that I'm great."

"Beautiful," Doctor Davidson said, making another note. "Now, I have kind of a weird question. How far along in your pregnancy do _you_ think you are?"

Looking from the doctor, to her mother, and back again, Kerry guesstimated her answer.

"I'd have to say about… twelve or thirteen weeks."

"That's your estimate?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Okay, then," the doctor said, smiling. Getting up from the desk, she walked over and opened the door, and then motioned for mother and daughter to follow her. "Kerry I'm going to need you and your mother to come with me. We're going to determine how far along you actually are."

Kerry nodded and got up, Kate following suit. Grabbing their belongings, they walked out the door, Doctor Davidson shutting it behind them.


	6. Chapter 4 Part 2

**This isn't the longest chapter in the world, but I hope you enjoy it!!**

Chapter Four Part Two- Relieving Yourself of Your Morning Sickness

The tires crunched the loose gravel as the minivan drove slowly up the driveway. Coming to a halt in the half darkness of the garage, Kate switched off the car and pulled the key out of the ignition.

"Yes, we're finally _home_!" Kerry exclaimed, unbuckling her seatbelt and beginning to open her door.

"Wait a minute, Kerry."

Turning around in her seat, Kerry faced her mother.

"What is it?" she asked, confused.

"I just wanted to tell you how well I think you've been coping with this so far," Kate said, looking at her daughter lovingly.

"Thanks, mom," Kerry whispered, slightly taken aback by her mother's sudden change of mood.

"I mean it. You behaved wonderfully at the doctor's office today, even with those ladies in the waiting room talking about you. I couldn't have been more proud of you."

Smiling, Kerry leaned over and hugged her mom.

"I love you, mom," she whispered, hugging her mother tighter.

A tear slid down each side of Kate's face.

"I love you, too, sweetie. I really do."

A few silent moments passed by, before Kerry finally released her mother from her hug.

"Look at us!" she said, wiping her eyes and starting to laugh. Kate couldn't help but smile and laugh along.

"I know!"

Still chuckling, Kerry turned around to open her door.

"Oh, one more thing Kerry."

"Yeah?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Your dad would be very proud of you, too," Kate said.

"I hope so."

Thirty minutes later-

"Kids, dinner's ready!" Kate called up the stairs.

"Thank god, I'm starving!" Kerry cried, sliding off her bed and running towards her door. A sudden feeling of nausea stopped her in her tracks. "Yep, okay, no more sudden movements for me!"

"You okay?" Bridget asked, coming out of the bathroom.

"Yeah, I'm good. Little nauseous, that's all," Kerry replied.

"Do you want me to tell mom you'll be late for dinner?" Bridget asked.

"Hey, she's actually being considerate of how I feel!" Kerry thought.

"Um, nah. Just tell her I'll be down in a sec."

"Okay, then," Bridget said, walking out the door.

Taking deep breaths to calm herself, Kerry got up and went into the bathroom. She opened one of the drawers and took an Aspirin, hoping it would help ease her stomach pains. But, alas, it did not.

Slamming the toilet seat against the back of the toilet, Kerry held her hair out of the way and vomited.

Five minutes later, Kerry emerged from the bathroom, pale and tired. Tying her curly red hair back into a ponytail, she slid on her slippers and walked downstairs. As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, her mom was right at her side.

"Kerry, what happened? You look awful!" Kate exclaimed, looking at her daughter's pasty white face.

Bridget leaned over and said, "She said she was feeling nauseous upstairs before I came down. She probably threw up."

"Thanks, Bridget," Kerry replied sarcastically, her voice barely louder than a whisper, and very scratchy.

"Did you get sick, honey?" Kate asked.

Kerry nodded her head, not trusting herself to open her mouth without upchucking all over the tile floor.

"Oh, my poor baby! Alright, no dinner for you. Just go right back upstairs to your room," Kate said, steering Kerry away from the kitchen and back up the stairs. "I'll come check on you when I'm finished eating, okay?"

Kerry nodded again, and trudged back up stairs. The last thing she remembered was slamming her bedroom door shut, and then collapsing onto the carpet floor.

**Okay, you guys really have to tell me whether you want Kerry's baby to be a boy or a girl. I need to know!! **


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter Five- Don't Lose Your Temper

**Okay, I just realized that Kerry has to tell Kyle that she's pregnant and stuff, so I'll try to include that in this chapter.**

"Come on, kids, or you'll be late for school!" Kate called up the stairs.

"Coming!" yelled all three of the Hennessy children at once.

"That was weird…" Kerry whispered to Bridget as they walked out the bedroom door.

"What was weird?" Bridget asked.

"Oh my god…" Kerry said, rolling her eyes.

"Aright, let's go, you guys!" Kate was standing at the back door, waiting for her children to come down the stairs. "Rory, hurry up!"

"Alright, I'm coming! I just had to put on pants!" Rory exclaimed as came bounding down the stairs and into the kitchen, simultaneously attempting to put on his shoe.

"Well, now you have pants on, so _let's go_! And tie your shoes in the car!" Kate exclaimed, opening the back door for the kids.

"You know what I've never figured out?" Rory asked as they all climbed into the navy blue minivan.

"What?" Kerry asked.

"Why we never take the bus to school." **(It was bugging me for a while why they never take the bus… I mean seriously, wouldn't it have saved them a lot of embarrassment? Slipper dad… heehee…)**

"So, Kerry…" Bridget said, leaning up from the back seat so she could talk to Kerry in the passenger's.

"What?"

"What are you going to do at school when you have another one of your little barf episodes?"

"I don't know. Probably go down to see mom or something…" **(For those who don't know, Kate is the nurse at their high school.) **

"What are you gonna tell people when your stomach starts getting huge?" Rory piped in.

"I'll wait to think about that when the time comes!" Kerry snapped.

"Hey, now, there's no need to get mad at him," Kate said, turning to look at Kerry.

"Mom, the road!" Kerry cried, pointing out the front window.

"Oh, right!" Kate said, abruptly turning around and just narrowly missing the curb.

"Oh my god…" Kerry said. She pressed her back against the seat and covered her face with her hands, trying to slow down her racing heart.

There was silence for the rest of the trip to school.

Once the van came to a stop in the faculty parking lot at the high school, all four Hennessys climbed slowly out of the car, still slightly shaky from the near-accident on the highway.

"Bye, mom," Kerry muttered. She attempted to scoot smoothly through the crowd packed in front of the doors, but was unsuccessful. She was jostled around, pushed, prodded, and shoved until, by some miracle, she crashed into Kyle's back. She just barely caught herself from falling by wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Whoa, what was that all about?" Kyle exclaimed. Smiling, he turned around and wrapped his arms snuggly around her waist. "You can usually get through that crowd pretty well. What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Kerry said, shrugging. "I _do_ know, I just don't want to tell you," she thought. Sighing, she laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

"Well, something has to be up, because I know you, and you're a morning person. You're not usually this tired when you get here."

"Come over after school. We have some stuff to talk about," Kerry said, her voice muffled by his jacket.

The rest of the school day blurred by, and all memories were a jumble for Kerry as she walked through the back door, Kyle and Bridget following closely behind her.

"We're home!" Bridget yelled.

"I'm hungry," said Kyle and Kerry simultaneously.

"Um, I think I'll be upstairs," Bridget said, looking rather uncomfortable. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked slowly up the stairs.

"Alright, so what do ya got to eat?" Kyle asked as Bridget disappeared around the corner.

"Not much…"

"I'll find somethin."

"OK."

"Do you want me to get you something to drink, Kerry?" Kyle asked.

"Um, if you could just get me some ice water, that'd be awesome," Kerry replied.

"Here you go." The ice _clinked_ against the side of the glass as he set it down on the counter top.

Taking a sip of her water, Kerry watched Kyle rummaging around in the refrigerator. She started to think about going upstairs with him… Shaking her head, she set her cup back down and put her head in her hands.

"Oh, god, mom warned me that this might happen," she thought as she remembered a very uncomfortable conversation between her and her mother the night before. Kate had said that as her pregnancy progressed, she may find herself having strange, rather sickening urges. Kerry didn't want to think about them right now.

"So how was your trip to France?" Kyle asked innocently as he sat down next to Kerry. "We've barely seen each other at all since you came back."

Kerry didn't want to talk about France right now, but Kyle was staring at her, waiting for an answer.

"Well, I saw lots of art, and we went sightseeing all over Paris, which was _beautiful_, by the way. I roomed with a girl I met there at a really fancy hotel, and that's pretty much it."

"Really? 'Cause Bridget said you did somethin _really_ big while you were there."

Banging her head against the kitchen island, Kerry thought, "Damn, that Bridget. I thought I told her to keep her huge mouth shut about this!"

"Well…" Kerry began, unsure of how to continue. At that moment, Rory came down the stairs. Rory always had the best luck at coming into a room at the worst possible time.

"Rory, go away!" Kerry cried.

"Ooohhh, are you telling him about your little mishap in Eur-" Rory never got to finish. As soon as he uttered the words 'little mishap,' Kerry had jumped up and was chasing him around the kitchen and living room.

"Get back here, you little twerp!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Hearing all the commotion, Bridget came striding down the stairs.

"Bridget, would you grab Rory?" Kyle yelled to her over the tumult of screaming voices. Bridget shook her head as she stood still on the stairs. "Just grab him and shove him up the stairs!"

Rolling her eyes, Bridget grudgingly agreed.

"Kerry, calm down!" Rory cried, leaping over couches and chairs in a desperate attempt to get away from his fuming sister.

Kyle and Bridget ran up to the quarreling siblings and tried to shove their way between them. Kyle wrapped his arms around Kerry's waist and pulled her away from Rory. Bridget grabbed Rory's arm and shoved him up the stairs.

After everything had quieted down, Kerry stood still, boiling with anger, her chest heaving, with Kyle's arms wrapped firmly around her waist.

"What was that all about?" Kyle asked peeking over Kerry's shoulder and into her face.

"Come upstairs with me. We need to talk."

Up in Kerry and Bridget's Room-

"If your mom still doesn't allow you to bring boys upstairs, I don't wanna get in trouble…" Kyle said nervously as the duo walked through the doorway.

"It's alright. She trusts me not to do anything."

"So you still haven't unpacked much from your France trip yet?" Kyle observed as he sat down on Kerry's bed, visibly relaxing, and vigorously chewing on a heated-up cheeseburger.

"Nah, I've been too busy," Kerry replied.

"With what?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Kerry got under her blankets and put her head down on her pillow, looking over towards Bridget's bed. She didn't really want to see Kyle's face when she told him she was pregnant with another man's baby. She started to cry a little bit when she thought of what Kyle would say or do. Absentmindedly, she rubbed her slowly swelling stomach.

"What are you rubbing your stomach for?" Kyle asked. Quickly, Kerry pulled her hand off her stomach and wiped her eyes, desperately hoping that Kyle didn't suspect anything yet.

"Well, when I was in France, I met this guy," Kerry started.

"I knew you'd meet someone! What was his name?" Kyle exclaimed. This outburst made Kerry start to cry again, only this time it was noticeable. "Hey, hey, why are you crying?" Kyle asked. His anger suddenly turned to concern and guilt, he lay down behind her and put his right arm around her waist. Kerry's breath caught in her throat and she felt a bit nauseous as his hand came to a rest on her stomach. The only reason he didn't feel her slightly convex abdomen earlier was because at school, she had had a jacket on, and in the living room, he was too busy trying to figure out why was she was mad at Rory to notice anything unusual. Now she was all too aware that he could feel it through the thin sheets.

"Hey, why is your stomach kinda roundish?" Kyle asked, totally oblivious to the thought that she might be pregnant. This pushed Kerry over the edge. Throwing back her sheets, she ran into the bathroom and vomited again. Good thing her hair had been tied back into a ponytail that day, or she would have gotten puke in it.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Kyle cried. He ran into the bathroom and kneeled down by her side, rubbing her back as she barfed up her lunch.

Finally finished getting sick, Kerry lifted her head out of the toilet bowl and looked Kyle straight into his eyes. Oh, how she loved his eyes.

"Kyle," she whispered hoarsely, "I'm pregnant."

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I meant to update on the nineteenth, but the stupid login was being spedded and wouldn't let me log in. I was pissed. Hope you like it! **


	8. Chapter 6

Chapter Six- Everything Will Be Okay

**Alright, so this is the chapter when Kerry finds out whether she's having a boy or a girl. I'm trying to decide on names, so send me some good names for whatever she's having. Enjoy!**

"So I went to the doctor last Friday, and she said that I was about fifteen weeks along. I guess that means that this week marks as my sixteenth," Kerry said. She had just finished telling Kyle about her pregnancy. To her surprise, he had taken it rather well. She swore he almost started crying once, though.

"Then this is really for real, huh?" Kyle's voice sounded rather faint.

"Yep, it is."

They both sat looking at their hands for a few awkward, silent moments, until Kerry finally broke down. She began crying uncontrollably, and the only thing Kyle could figure out to do was to just hold her and let her cry.

"It's okay. I'm here," Kyle whispered soothingly. "I'm not goin' anywhere."

Kerry looked up, surprised. "You're not angry?" she asked, wiping away tears from her eyes.

"Well, I thought I was at first, and then I realized how stupid I was being after you told me that you hadn't heard from the father since you came home. And you know what? I feel bad for that guy because he let such an extraordinary person like you get away." Kyle leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips.

"Oh, Kyle, that was the kindest and sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me," Kerry said. They started to kiss again, but this time Kyle laid his hands over Kerry's swelling stomach. Kerry laid her left hand over his, and cupped his face with her right.

They were so wrapped up in the moment and each other that they didn't hear Bridget walk through the open bedroom door. She stopped short when she saw what was before her. Smiling a little to herself, she backed out of the room silently, and shut the door without a sound.

Downstairs a Few Hours Later-

_BEEEEEEEP_! The microwave went off, and Kerry pressed the **open** button. The smell of salty chips and freshly melted cheese filled the air.

"Yum." Kerry lifted the plate out of the microwave and set it down on the counter. Kyle reached over and attempted to peel one of the chips from the rest, but was unsuccessful. Kerry slapped his hand and gave him a look that can only be described as saying "You touch my chips again and I'll kill you."

"Kerry, what are you doing?" Kate asked as she came through the front door.

"Making nachos for us," replied Kerry.

"For you and Kyle?"

"No, for me and the baby," Kerry said seriously. Kate widened her eyes and looked from Kerry to Kyle and back. "Oh, its okay mom, I told him."

"Yeah, Mama H, it's cool," Kyle piped in.

"Oh. Okay, then. You know we'll be eating dinner in about ten minutes, right, Kerry?"

"Yeah, I know, I just wanted a little snack first."

"A _little_ snack? You could feed our whole family _plus_ Kyle with these nachos!" Kate exclaimed, holding up the plate laden with food.

"That's nice. Now, can I have my food back?" Kerry asked, holding out her hands.

"Here." Kate held the plate out for her youngest daughter to take.

In a record time of five point five minutes, the entire plate of nachos was gone.

"What was that?" Kate asked as Kerry brought the plate to the sink.

"I wush hungwee," Kerry replied, her mouth still full of nachos.

"Ugh, just wipe your face off." Kate handed Kerry a wet paper towel.

"Shank yoo." After she had finished wiping off her face and had swallowed her food, Kerry grabbed Kyle's hand and led him towards the stairway. "We'll be upstairs, mom."

"Okay, but when I call you for dinner please come down. Oh, and Kyle?"

"Yeah?" Kyle asked, turning around.

"Will you be staying for dinner?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Alright then."

As the pair made their way up the stairs, Kyle decided to ask a few questions.

"So, uh, have you gone out and bought any stuff for the baby yet?"

"No, I haven't." Kerry pushed open the extremely poster-laden door, and sat herself rather heavily on the bed. "Not yet, anyways. My mom and I are going to go out this weekend, I think."

"Oh, okay. Wait, how are you going to know which color stuff to buy? I mean, it'd be pretty embarrassing for a guy to have blue stuff, wouldn't it?"

Kerry looked at him, smiling a little. "Okay, first of all, I don't think that the baby will care whether it has blue or pink clothes. And secondly, I'm going back to the doctor tomorrow to find out the sex of the baby. After that I'll know what to buy for it."

"Um, Kerry?" Kyle asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, Kyle?"  
"This might be a little weird, but uh, could I come with you to that whole thing tomorrow to see the baby?" Kyle half smiled and then looked down at his hands, kind of embarrassed at what he just said.

"Oh, Kyle, of course you can!" Kerry exclaimed, ecstatic that Kyle wanted to go with her. "My mom's bringing me there straight after school tomorrow, so just come with me after the bell. I doubt she'll mind. Oh yeah, and Bridget's coming, too, for some unidentifiable reason."

"Awesome. Can't wait."

Suddenly, the bathroom door slid open, and out walked Bridget.

"So Kyle's coming with us tomorrow, huh?" she said as she made her way over to her dresser.

"Bridget, how long were you in there?" Kerry asked.

"Oh, since about fifteen minutes before you came in," Bridget replied.

"You were making very little sound in there for being Bridget."

"Yeah, well, I wanted to hear what you were saying."

"My god…"

"Kids! Dinner!" Kate called from the kitchen.

"_Thank_ you, I'm absolutely _starving_!" Kerry exclaimed, jumping up from her bed.

"But didn't you just have like, an entire plate of nachos?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry."

"Wow. I think you eat more than I do. And that's saying somethin."

The next day at school was pure torture for Kerry. Everyone somehow now knew that she was pregnant, probably thanks to Bridget or Rory. Passersby in the hallway always seemed to be looking directly at her stomach, and no one talked to her throughout the entire morning. Finally, at lunch, Rachel Sharpe, her dad's old boss's daughter, came to sit with her.

"Hey, Kerry. You havin a rough day?" she asked kindly.

"Hell yeah! No one has talked to me or made eye contact with me all morning! They all seem so preoccupied with this _thing_!" She pointed at her stomach, and then began shoveling food into her mouth.

"That must be really frustrating," Rachel said, poking at her apple sauce.

"It is!"

They were both silent for a few minutes, Rachel quietly picking at her food while Kerry shoved every visible edible food item into her mouth.

"So when did that happen?" Rachel suddenly asked, pointing with her fork at Kerry's stomach.

Kerry took a large swallow of food, and then said "Over the summer. I went to France and met this guy, and then _bam_, this happened."

"Right. What does it feel like?" Rachel asked, obviously interested now.

"Well, have you ever had way too much to eat on say, Thanksgiving, or at a barbeque or something?" Rachel nodded her head yes. "Well, this is what it feels like, only it kind of moves and it _never_ goes away."

"That's kinda cool."

"If you don't have to go through it, yes, it does sound cool. But if you actually have it inside you, constantly making you vomit and have random mood swings for no reason, you'll stop thinking its cool real quick."

"But didn't you already have random mood swings even when you weren't pregnant?"

Glaring at Rachel, Kerry tried very hard not to raise her voice. She stood up and took her tray with her. "I think I'll go and finish my lunch in the nurse's office," she said, her temper barely under control. And with that, she turned around and walked off.

"Hi, sweetie. What are you doing here?" Kate asked as Kerry walked through the door into the nurse's office.

"Well, I'm pregnant, I have weird mood swings, people keep staring at my stomach, and I've felt nauseous all day," Kerry said sarcastically, counting off on her fingers. "Why do you _think_ I'm here?" She finally started to raise her voice, unable to fully control her temper any longer.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Kate walked over and put her hands on Kerry's shoulders, gently walking her over and sitting her down on the bed. "Just sit here, finish your lunch, and calm down, okay?" Kate leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Okay," Kerry agreed.

After finishing her lunch, Kerry set her tray down on the stool near her head, and laid down. She closed her eyes, and, before she knew it, the bell signaling the end of another school day was ringing. She sat straight up, suddenly realizing that she missed all of her afternoon classes.

"Oh my god, I've got to go and get my homework. I can't believe I slept through the entire afternoon, I-"

"Hey, wait a second, there, Kerry." Kate stood up from a chair near where Kerry had been sleeping. She put a hand on Kerry's arm to stop her from throwing herself into the tide of students surging past. "It's alright. I talked to Principal Gibb, and he excused you from your classes. You don't have to do any homework tonight either, if you don't want to. Your teachers understood."

"No, no, I have to do homework. If I don't, I'll fail school, never get into a good college, end up like Bridget and have no future!" Kerry exclaimed, breaking down into sobs. Kate hugged her close, comforting and soothing her.

"Ssshhh, baby girl, its okay. Go sit back down, and I'll have Principal Gibb get Bridget and Kyle." Kerry walked slowly back over to the bed, her shoulders shaking with her sobs.

As she sat down, her mom said, "Kerry?"

She looked up, tears streaking down her face. "Yeah, mom?"

"It'll be alright. Don't worry."

Smiling a little through her crying, Kerry lay back down and closed her eyes once more.

"Kerry, wake up." Kerry opened her eyes to find her vision blurred by a mass of red curls.

Yawning, she sat up and stretched, her arms reaching towards the ceiling.

"I fell asleep again," Kerry said.

"Well, not for very long, but yeah, you did," Kyle said. Kerry realized that he was the one that had awakened her.

"I guess this whole being pregnant thing has been taking a lot out of me, huh?"

"Yeah, pregnancy can have that effect," Kate said, walking out of the nurse's bathroom.

"Where's Bridget?" Kerry asked. As she looked around, she suddenly realized that her sister was not there.

"She went to her locker for something. She'll be back in a second."

"So where are we going for this thing?" Kyle asked.

"You mean the _ultrasound_?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, that thing."

"Well, we're going to a hospital in southern Detroit. The doctors there are exceedingly amazing." Kyle looked confused as Kate finished her sentence.

"Exceedi- what?"

"Exceedingly amazing means _very good_," Kate said slowly.

"Oh."

"I'm back," Bridget said as she walked through the door.

"What took you so long?" Kate asked.

"Oh, you know… stuff."

"Stuff?" Kate paused. "Alright, what was his name?"

"Why do you automatically think I was with a boy?"

"Because you're Bridget," Kerry added.

"Shut up, this has nothing do to with you."

Kate looked down at her watch. "Well, I'm glad you got back when you did, because we've got to leave _now_ if we want to be on time for Kerry's appointment."

As everyone made their way to the door, Kerry stayed where she was, biting her lip.

Kate looked back when she realized Kerry wasn't following.

"What is it, Kerry?"

She pointed to the bathroom. "Can I use the facilities before we go?" she asked innocently.

"Ugh, fine, go! Just hurry up and meet us in the car!"

"Thank you!"

"The rest of you- go!"

Just as everyone was getting into the car and buckling their seatbelts, Kerry came tearing out the front door and down the wheelchair ramp. She nimbly jumped into the car and buckled herself into a seat.

"Geez, you ran pretty fast for someone who's carrying a baby!" Bridget said.

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't run that fast in the future."

At the doctor's office-

"Ah, back for your ultrasound, are we?" Doctor Kaley Davidson exclaimed happily as she walked into the room where Kerry, Kyle, Bridget, and Kate were waiting.

"Who are these two?" she asked curiously, nodding towards Bridget and Kyle.

"Um, this is my older sister Bridget," Kerry said, pointing at Bridget.

"Hi."

"And this is my boyfriend, Kyle."

"Hey."

"I'm Doctor Davidson. It's nice to meet you both. First off today, Kerry, how are you feeling?"

"I've been feeling okay. I've been really tired lately, and I've only thrown up twice."

"That's good. Nothing unusual has been happening, though?"

"Nope, nothing unusual."

"Good, good. Okay, then, why don't we go and get you ready? Are you three coming with her?"

"Yes," said Kate, Kyle, and Bridget simultaneously.

"Alrighty then. Let's go."

Doctor Davidson let the quartet down a long hallway, through a door that said **Ultrasound Room **on a sign, and through another door into a room with lots of beeping equipment.

"Kerry, I'm going to have you lie down on this bed right here and your mom, sister, and boyfriend can sit around you," Doctor Davidson said.

Opening a cabinet above the equipment, she pulled out a tube of ultrasound goop **(sorry, I don't really know what that stuff is called… if anyone knows, could you tell me?)**, and flipped open the cap.

"Kerry, if you could lift up your shirt so I can see your stomach, I'll start."

Kerry did as she was told, and then laid her hands by her sides. She shivered as the goop was put on her stomach and spread around with the ultrasound reader.

On the screen next to Doctor Davidson's head, a black and white picture appeared and started to move.

"Well, there's your baby." Everyone in the room except for the doctor seemed to be holding their breath as the baby came into focus. Kate started to cry, and Kyle and Bridget each took one of Kerry's hands in theirs. Kerry didn't really know what to do, though. Her mind went numb, and she just stared blankly at the screen.

"There's a hand."

"That is so cool." It was the first time that Bridget had spoken since they entered the ultrasound room.

"And there's a foot."

Kate leaned down and kissed Kerry's forehead.

"Would you like to know the sex?" Doctor Davidson asked as she removed the reader from Kerry's stomach.

"Yes," all four of them managed to say at the same time.

"It's a girl." Kerry started to cry and Kate started to cry even harder. Bridget squeezed Kerry's hand tighter, making her knuckles clamp together under her skin.

"Ow, Bridget, you're hurting me!" Kerry exclaimed, extricating her hand from Bridget's death grip and starting to laugh.

"Sorry." Kerry looked up into her older sister's face and saw her eyes glistening with tears.

"Would you like a picture of the ultrasound?" Doctor Davidson asked.

"Oh, yes please!" Kerry laid her shirt back over her stomach and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Here you go."

Taking the picture in her hands, it hit Kerry for the first time that this thing was actually insider her.

"Thank you so much," Kerry said.

"Let me see it." Kyle came up silently from behind Kerry and looked over her shoulder at the picture. "That's amazing."

Looking up into his face, Kerry could see the wonder and fascination in his eyes. She hooked her left arm around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"Let's go home."


	9. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven- Make the Right Preparations

"Rory, Grandpa, Cj, come to the living room!" Kerry yelled. The front door slammed shut behind her in the faces of Kate, Kyle, and Bridget.

"Hey, thanks for slamming the door in our faces!" Bridget exclaimed, reopening the door.  
"Shut up," Kerry snapped. "Guys! Come here, I have something to tell you!" she repeated to her brother, grandfather and cousin.

"Alright, where's the fire?" Jim asked sarcastically as he lumbered slowly up the basement stairs.

"Is Cj coming?" Kerry asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a-comin." Cj scooted past Jim in the doorway and threw himself lengthwise onto the couch just before Kerry could sit down.

"HEY, get up!" Kerry screamed. With a thud, Cj hit the floor.

"Ow, god, she threw me onto the floor!" he cried, sitting up and rubbing his bruised shoulder.

"Ooohhh, did Kerry beat up Cj again?" Rory asked, grinning, as he came down the back stairway.

"She threw me onto the floor when I took her precious seat on the couch!" Cj got up and sat down on the arm of the chair across the room. With obvious unneeded sarcasm, he rubbed his shoulder and winced painfully. "And stop smiling!" Rory tried, but ultimately failed, to hide his smile.

Kate quickly intervened before someone was hurt further. "Now, kids, stop that. Kerry has something very important she wants to tell you all."

All of a sudden, Kerry's face went from pissed to happy to anxious.

"Geez, bipolar, much?" Bridget muttered under her breath.

"Bridget…" Kate warned.

"What did you want to tell us, Kerry?" Jim asked.

Kerry glanced at her mom, who gave her a small nod, and then began.

"Well, today, as you probably already know, I went to the doctor's office for my ultrasound."

"How did it go?" Cj asked.

"I was getting to that!" exclaimed Kerry. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she started again. "My ultrasound went _fine_. As a matter of fact, I found out that I'm having a girl!"

"That's wonderful, sweetie!" Jim exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's awesome!" Rory added.

"Very cool," Cj said.

"Yeah, and the doctor said I was due on April 29." Kerry looked beside herself with pride and happiness.

"Well, Kerry, that only leaves us so much time to go shopping and set up for the baby," Kate said. Standing up, she went over to the door.

"Are we going out now?" Kerry moaned. "I just got comfortable on the couch!"

"Well, you can get comfortable in the car! Let's go! The sooner we get done, the less time you'll have to worry about getting everything ready."

"I guess you're right," Kerry agreed, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'll come with you," Kyle said.

"You sure?" Kerry asked. "I mean, you already had to go to that appointment earlier. Do you really want to come out again?"

"Oh, yeah, totally! I'm here for you." Pulling her into a one-armed hug, he kissed the top of her head and grabbed their coats.

"Okay, then, let's go!" Kate opened the front door and followed the pair out.

Strapping themselves into their seats, Kate had an idea.

"Hey, why doesn't one of you make a list of what we're going to need to buy?"

"Okay." Kerry leaned over the side of the passenger's seat and started to grope around inside for a piece of paper and a pen.

"'Kay, shoot."

"Alright, we're definitely gonna need some diapers."

"Diapers," Kerry repeated, scribbling on the paper.

"Those little onezie things."

"Onezie things. Right."

"A stroller that's big enough for the baby and the baby bag and stuff."

"Stroller."

"Oh, that reminds me. A baby bag. A big one."

"Big baby bag. Got it."

"Blankets. Lots of small, warm, _pink_ blankets."

"Mhmm…" Kerry mumbled, continuing to write things down.

"And I guess we'll just see what else is at the store."

"'Kay…" Kerry slipped the piece of paper back into her mother's purse. When she returned to her seat, Kyle reached over, took Kerry's hand in his, and kissed it.

Smiling, Kerry gave his hand a little squeeze.

"Alright, mom, where are we going?" Kerry asked. They were just pulling onto the highway, Kate weaving the van into the middle lane.

"I was thinking we could go to Wal-Mart or something."

"Wal-Mart's stuff kinda sucks, though."

"Isn't there, like, a Babies-R-Us in the same plaza?" Kyle put in.

"You're right, I think there is. Mom, let's go there instead of Wal-Mart."

Chuckling, Kate looked in her rearview mirror and saw the two still holding hands. She smiled and said, "Let's go there."

Ten Minutes Later in Babies-R-Us-

"What was first on that list, Mom?"

"Uh… oh, here it is!" Kate exclaimed, fishing the piece of paper out of her cluttered purse. "First on the list are diapers."

"Well, that's a given," Kerry scoffed.

"You're the one who wanted to know what was first on the list!"

"Yeah, well, I already had diapers in mind! I just wanted to see what else was there!"

Kyle walking back with the shopping cart halted the argument.

"Where are we goin?" he asked.

"Diapers are that way, I think." Kerry pointed to her left down the main aisle.

"Let's go, then. Oh, I'll take the cart, Kyle." Kate started down the aisle, the metal cart being pushed along squeakily in front of her.

Putting one arm around Kerry's shoulder, he steered her behind Kate.

Smiling, Kerry took hold of the hand that rested just below her shoulder and walked along.

"Most of the women here have to be at least thirty," Kerry observed as the trio walked. "They keep looking at us weird."

"You're a pregnant sixteen year old. Most adults think that's kinda messed up and irresponsible," Kyle replied.

"Well, they should just mind their own business," Kerry muttered. Noticing the uncomfortable look on her face, Kyle brushed their clasped hands against her cheek. "It's okay. Just ignore 'em."

"Come on, guys, this way!" Kate beckoned them down an aisle that was about halfway up the main aisle.

"Whoa," Kyle exclaimed. Kerry nodded in agreement. The entire aisle was nothing but diapers, diapers, and more diapers. "I've never seen so many diapers in one place my entire life."

"How many are we going to need at first?" Kerry asked.

"Well, they've usually got diapers at the hospital, and women stay there with their newborns for about three to four days before taking them home, so I'd say about two packs at first. We'll buy some more when we need to."

Taking two packs of "Pampers" brand diapers off the shelf, Kate checked diapers off the list. **(Okay, how many times can I say diapers in one chapter?)**

"What's next?" Kerry asked.

"Those onezie things."

"Let's head that way, then."

An Hour and a Half Later-

Kerry sat down heavily in her seat in the minivan, and started to rub her back.

"My back is freakin killing me," she complained.

"Well, that'll start to happen as your pregnancy progresses, honey. You should take some pain medicine when we get home. It's best to stay off your feet when you can, too," Kate said. She and Kyle were loading all of the bags into the back of the minivan. Aside from the diapers, onzies, stroller, baby bag, and blankets that they originally needed, they also purchased a teddy bear for the baby, a crib (they put it on layaway to be picked up later), burp rags, a playpen to keep the baby in, and some much-needed chocolate for Kerry.

"Watch your head." Kerry ducked down so Kyle could shove the folded-up stroller onto the back seats.

"I just wanna get home so bad," Kerry moaned, her eyes closed.

"It won't take us long to get home. Hang in there, Carebear."

Kerry smiled at the nickname that her father used to call her. She also remembered how much she hated it at times.

"I miss dad," Kerry sighed. Her mother looked in the rearview mirror curiously.

"Why did you say that?" she asked.

"I don't know." She paused, and then continued hesitantly. "I was just wondering if any of this would have happened if he hadn't died."

"You never know. It might have," Kate replied. She really couldn't think of anything else to say.

Kyle reached over to Kerry and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face.

"You know what I think?" he asked.

"What?" Kerry turned her head to look at him.

"I think that Papa H would have been proud of you no matter what you did. I knew how much he loved you. And Bridget." Kerry's eyes began to well up with tears and she had to look away before tears started streaming down her face.

"Thank you, Kyle. I needed to hear that."

"No problem. And I love you, too."

**Okay, the ending was kinda mushy love stuff, but I thought that it concluded the chapter nicely. I'm gonna try to incorporate Bruno somehow in one of the next few chapters, so be ready! Oh, and sorry it took me so long to update. I've been really busy.**


	10. Chapter 8

**This is just a filler chapter that I wrote. Sorry it took me so long. I was in Maine for the past week and a half, so I haven't had any time to update. Sorry again! Hope you enjoy! **

Chapter Eight- Dealing

"We're gonna have to move some stuff around in here so we can fit the crib in," Kerry said. She and Bridget were standing in the middle of their bedroom, carefully scrutinizing its current layout.

"We could move your desk over next to where the mirror is," Bridget suggested.

"That's a possibility." Kerry eyeballed the size space the desk would leave open when it was moved. "I forget how big the crib was because I had excruciating back pain but that-"

"Excru- what?" Bridget interrupted.

"_Excruciating_ means _very, very painful_," Kerry explained slowly. Rolling her eyes at her sister's utter _blondness_, she continued.

"As I was saying, I forget how big that crib was, but that space seems big enough for the average crib, right?"

"I wouldn't really know, but… if you say so!" Bridget abruptly turned around and walked out the door.

"Where are you going?" Kerry asked, following closely behind her older sister.

"Me and Jenna and Danielle and Amanda are going to the mall. We think Amanda's old boyfriend is there with his new girlfriend, and we wanna see how hot she is. Or if she's not hot at all."

"Well, can't that wait? I kinda need your help here."

"I'll help you later. I promise. Besides, we know that Amanda's old boyfriend will be there today, but what if he's not there tomorrow? That could throw off our whole humiliate him and make him never want to show his face at the mall again plan."

Hanging her head, Kerry sighed in defeat.

"I give up. Just go."

"Thank you!" Bridget clapped her hands together and trotted off down the stairs.

"Just don't forget about helping me later!" Kerry yelled after her.

"Yep, sure!" was the reply from downstairs just before the door slammed shut.

The sun had been down for almost four hours when the front door reopened and Bridget walked through. She stopped short when she saw Kerry sitting on the couch.

Kerry crossed her arms over her chest and stood up as Bridget hung her coat on the rack.

Cautiously, Bridget walked over and stood behind the armchair in the living room. She tapped her finger uncomfortably on the cushion, her eyes jumping around the room, avoiding Kerry at all costs.

Kerry did not move or say anything for five minutes; she just stood with her arms crossed and a look of pure disgust on her face. Her slowly swelling stomach bulged from underneath her arms. It was mid-February, and she was about halfway through her pregnancy.

Another awkward few moments went by before Bridget decided to break the silence. Just as she started to open her mouth to explain, Kerry's temper burst.

"Where the hell were you?" she yelled. "You were supposed to be home, like, four hours ago! I needed your help!"

"We were kinda busy, that's all!" Bridget yelled back. "And the last time I checked, you're not my mother! You're my _younger sister_! You don't get to tell me what to do!"

"I know I'm not! But mom had said earlier that you were supposed to help me move our room around and get the baby stuff ready! And did you help me? Um, let me think, uh- NO!"

This started the girls into a fierce argument, their voices raised above the normal volume for 8:30 at night. Kate came running down the stairs just as Kerry lunged at Bridget and tackled her to the ground.

"Hey, hey, girls, stop that! Kerry, get off your sister! Bridget, let go of her hair!" Kate cried over the cacophony of screaming girls.

"Ooohh, chick fight!" Rory exclaimed from the top of the living room stairs, his face alight with the excitement of the prospect of watching his sisters kick the crap out of each other.

"Rory, go upstairs!" Kate yelled at her son, glaring at him over her shoulder.

"But-"

"GO!" Kate yelled, pointing up the stairs.

"Fine…" Rory stomped back to his room. The sound of his slamming door was suddenly masked by Kerry's bloodcurdling scream of anger.

"BRIDGET!! DON'T EVEN JOKE ABOUT THAT!" she screeched.

Finally managing to yank Kerry off Bridget, Kate grasped her youngest daughter's arms and pulled her backwards away from her sister.

"What did she do?" Kate asked when they were a safe distance away.

Taking a few deep breaths, Kerry tried to calm down. When she opened her mouth to answer, though, what came out was different than what she had intended to come out.

"SHE TRIED TO PUNCH MY STOMACH!"

"BRIDGET!!" Kate exclaimed, shooting a horrified look at her eldest daughter. "Why the hell would you ever do something like that?!"

"I don't know! I didn't mean to! I just punched upwards and she recoiled and started screaming like somebody stabbed her!" Bridget cried, standing up.

"Is that your excuse?"

"Well, I-"

"Nope, I don't want to hear it!" Kate put her hands up, palms out, stopping Bridget from talking any more. "Bridget, you're-"

"Mom, before you say 'you're grounded,' and I know that you will, I think I've got a better idea," Kerry interrupted. A mischievous smile crept over her face at the thought of her plan.

Looking at her sister confusedly, Bridget asked, "What are you thinking?"

Two Days Later-

"I can't _believe_ you talked mom into making me do this with you!" Bridget said breathlessly, looking over the top of the twenty-pound desk at her sister. She and Kerry were moving the furniture around in their bedroom to make room for the coming baby.

"Well, she didn't need much persuading on the matter. She thought it was a suitable punishment for what you did," Kerry replied, her voice showing the obvious struggle she was having with moving the desk.

"It's sick! _You_ decide when I can or can't go the mall because I have to help you move around all this-" _–gasp-_ "junk around the room seven thousand-" _–gasp-_ "times!"

"I just haven't found the right place to- alright let's put it down for a sec!" Kerry took a deep breath as the desk was set on the ground. "Oh, that feels so much better. You have no idea!" Kerry sighed, rubbing her back.

"Oh, I might have a small idea!" Bridget replied, also rubbing her back and sore arms.

"As I was saying, I just haven't found the right place to put it yet."

"But didn't you want to put it over next to the mirror?"

"Yeah, I thought about that and I realized I didn't really like the idea."

"Why don't we just move the mirror into the bathroom and you can double your desk up with mine? It'd make more room _and_ I could have more mirrors in the bathroom!" Bridget sat up with a smile on her face, obviously very happy with her idea.

"That might be a possibility. There's the problem, though, that if you have more mirrors in the bathroom you may take even _longer_ than you normally do to get ready in the morning." Kerry lay vertically on her back, her head resting on her pillow, eyes closed. "And that's a risk I may not be willing to take."

Groaning, Bridget slammed back down on her bed.

"You really can't make up your mind, can you?"

Taking a deep breath, Kerry simply replied, "Nope," and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Later That Day-

"Bridg, wake up! We fell asleep. Come on, Bridget. I need to talk to you!" Kerry prodded and shook her sleeping sister until she finally woke up.

"Alright, fine, what is it?" Bridget asked groggily.

"I thought about your idea of moving the mirror into the bathroom and decided that it was actually the best idea we've come up with that actually makes sense."

"Really?" Bridget yawned and rubbed her eyes. "You're not gonna change your mind right after we finish this time, right?"

"Nope." Kerry shook her head. "And if I do, you won't let me move anything else. And once we're done, you can go to the mall."

_That_ woke Bridget up.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to it!"

Fifteen Minutes Later-

"_Finally_, we're _done_!" Bridget exclaimed. "Yessss!"

"I'll tell mom you came up with the idea and that I let you go to the mall," Kerry said, sitting down on the end of Bridget bed.

"Thank you _sooo_ much, baby sister!" Bridget exclaimed, hugging Kerry tightly. "You know, I think you'll make a really good mommy," she added before getting up and walking out the bedroom door.

Momentarily stunned, Kerry stood up and closed the door behind Bridget.

Shaking her head, she thought, "Wow. She actually thinks I'll make a good mother." Smiling to herself, she laid down and covered herself with the comforter on her bed, and drifted off to a peaceful, dreamless sleep.


	11. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own 8 Simple Rules or the song "Blow Me Away" by Breaking Benjamin. I do enjoy them both, though. Tell me if you guys liked it or thought it was weird or anything. There'll probably be one more chapter or so. **

**Sorry it took me so damn long to update. I've been trying to figure out how to write this chapter out and, as you can very well see, it's taken quite a long time. I hope you're not disappointed!! **

Chapter Nine- Here She Comes

"Hey, mom." The three Hennessy kids all began to pile into the family minivan after another day of school.

"Hi, kids," Kate replied. Looking in the rearview mirror, she saw Kerry struggling to get the seatbelt to fit around her very pregnant stomach.

"Damn it! I can't get this thing on!" Kerry yelled, finally giving up on the seatbelt altogether.

"Here, let me help," Bridget offered. "Give me the seatbelt."

Kerry, still fuming, pulled the belt across her body and handed it to her sister.

"Pull it out as far as it'll come."

After much struggling and a bit more than was necessary cussing, the seatbelt finally _clicked_ into place in the buckle.

"There," Bridget said, obviously pleased with herself.

"It's kinda tight," Kerry complained.

"Well, it's kinda hard to fit a seatbelt around a house."

"Shut up!" Kerry exclaimed. "Hand me my bag, would you?"

"Hormonal, much?" Bridget muttered as she handed her sister her backpack.

Kerry angrily tore it open and began rummaging around in it. Pulling out her iPod Nano, she stuck the ear bud headphones in her ears and flipped through the songs and clicked on a random song; "Blow Me Away" by Breaking Benjamin. Hitting the PLAY button, she closed her eyes and lost herself in the song.

"_They fall in line_

_One at a time_

_Ready to play_

_(I can't see them anyway)_

_No time to lose _

_We've got to move_

_Steady your hand_

_(I am losing sight again)"… _

"Kerry, wake up." Kerry felt a hand gently nudge her shoulder. She knew she recognized the voice that said her name, but it was one that she hadn't heard in a long time.

Opening her eyes, she realized who it was.

"Dad?" Paul Hennessy's kind face smiled down at her. Hardly believing her eyes, she closed, rubbed, and reopened them. Finally realizing it was really him, she began to cry harder than she'd ever cried in her entire life. "I missed you, daddy," she sobbed as he hugged her tight.

"I missed you, too, Carebear." They remained like that, Kerry balling her eyes out with her dead father comforting her, for what felt like an eternity.

"Why did you leave?" Kerry murmured to her father, her eyes clouded by more unshed tears of pain.

"I didn't have a choice," he whispered back. "If I'd had a choice, you know I would have stayed, right?"

Nodding, Kerry looked up into his eyes. They were stricken with pain and grief, but there was also happiness.

Wiping tears from her face, he smiled down at her.

"Why are you smiling?" Kerry asked, slowly withdrawing from his embrace.

"I'm just thinking about what a beautiful woman you've become," Paul replied. "And how well you're handling this." Paul reached down and placed a hand on her nearly bursting stomach.

"Are you disappointed in me?" Kerry asked hesitantly, her eyes beginning to tear up again.

"I was at first, and then I saw how wonderfully you coped with everything." Paul wiped the remaining tears off his daughter's face and tucked a loose strand of her fiery red hair behind her ear. "But I've got to tell you; if I ever get the chance I am going to haunt the crap out of that Bruno kid for knocking you up and then leaving you."

"Real subtle, dad, thanks," Kerry said, and couldn't help but smile. This was how she remembered her father; overly protective, loving, and ready to do whatever it took to keep his children out of trouble. But he hadn't been able to keep her out of trouble this time. Leaning her head against his chest again, Kerry took a deep breath and cherished the moment she'd thought she would never have again. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I love you so much, my baby girl." There was a short pause, and then- "Get ready, Kerry. Here she comes."

A confused look came over Kerry's face when her father said that, but then realization hit; today was April 29… her due date.

"Tell Rory and Bridget I love them and that I'm always with them…"

There was a blinding burst of pain and she snapped back to reality. Vigorously blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she realized she was alone in the car, which was sitting quietly in the driveway at her house. Her mind, still foggy from sleeping and blinded by pain, was unsure of what to do. The only logical thing she could think of to do was to scream. And scream she did; a long, loud, ear-piercing shriek that would have impressed a banshee.

Kate and Bridget came tearing out of the house, scared and bewildered about why Kerry was screaming so fiercely.

Flinging the door open, Kate saw Kerry doubled over in pain, her hands clutching her abdomen.

"Kerry, what's wrong, honey?" Kate asked, stroking Kerry's hair.

"Mom, what's today's date?" Bridget asked urgently from behind her.

"It's the twenty-ninth…" Kerry muttered.

"Oh my god!" Kate exclaimed. "Okay, I've prepared for this! Bridget, go get Kerry's hospital bag from upstairs. It's all packed. Oh, and leave a note for the guys about where we're going. Hurry!"

"I'm hurrying!" Bridget yelled over her shoulder as she bolted back inside.

"Everything's gonna be alright, Kerry," Kate reassured.

"Dad…" Kerry whispered.

"What?" Kate asked.

"Dad… I was talking to him…" Kerry said. For a moment, Kate thought her daughter was losing her mind.

"It was just a dream, honey, it wasn't real- Bridget! Hurry up!" Kate screamed. She heard the distant thudding of feet sprinting down the stairs. "Alright, Kerry, here we go, sweetie." She closed the van door and ran around to the driver's seat just as Bridget came bursting out the back door.

"The note's on the counter and I've got the bag!" Bridget exclaimed, shoving the small duffel bag through the open passenger's side window.

"Sit in the back with your sister!" Kate ordered.

Before Bridget could even close the van door, Kate had hit the pedal as hard as she could and the van went flying out of the driveway and down the road.

"Its gonna be okay, Kerry," Bridget said.

Kerry reached her hand out for Bridget's and squeezed it. Hard.

"Ow, Kerry, let go!" Bridget exclaimed.

"Bridget, just deal with it!" Kate yelled from the front seat. "We're almost there!"

"Mom, it hurts really bad!" Kerry yelled.

"I know, honey! I had three, remember?"

"I don't give a damn! DRIVE!" Kerry screamed at the top of her lungs.

Five minutes later, they arrived outside the "Emergencies Only" door of the Detroit Hospital.

Some doctors walking around outside the big double doors rushed over to the trio as Bridget and Kate struggled to get Kerry out of the van.

"I'll get a wheelchair, Kate!" one of the nurses shouted. **(Kate used to work at the hospital; she's got connections.)**

"Get me in a wheelchair!" Kerry growled through her teeth, her fingernails digging into the skin of her sister's arm.

"Sit her down!" the nurse with the wheelchair shouted, coming back out the door.

One Hour Later-

"Grandpa, Cj, and Rory are here, Kerry." Kate peeked around the door to see her daughter in her hospital bed, sloshing ice around in a plastic cup. The drugs had started to work about ten minutes ago, and Kerry was no longer in a great amount of pain.

"Why can I only eat ice?" Kerry asked her mom. "It's really boring. I want a steak or something."

"To tell you the truth, I don't really know," Kate replied, chuckling. "They made me do the same thing when I was having you guys."

"Where'd Bridget go?" Kerry asked. "She left right before they drugged me and never came back."

"I think she's downstairs in the cafeteria eating with Rory and Cj. They'll be up when they're done."

"Where's Grandpa?"  
"Right here, Kerry," Jim said, approaching from behind Kate. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"Numb," replied Kerry. She made a face as she gnawed on a particularly large chunk of ice. "But I'm good."

"That's good." Jim just stood there, his arms at his side, unsure of what to do next.

"Uh, dad, why don't you go down to the cafeteria and try and find Bridget and the guys," Kate suggested. "They should be about finished by now."

"Okay." Jim, thankful that he no longer had to stand stupidly in the door, turned around and shuffled down the hallway towards the elevators.

"Are you sure you're okay, Kerry?" Kate asked nervously. "I mean, I could get you some more ice, or a couple more pillows, or-"

"Mom, I'm fine!" Kerry laughed. "Stop worrying!"

"That's the thing!" Kate threw her arms up in the air exasperatedly and sat down in the armchair next to Kerry's bed. "I can't stop worrying! I've been feeling the need to mother persistently ever since you got pregnant. I know I was a little protective before, but now I feel like I want to kill anyone that looks at you! Ya know?" Kerry shook her head. "Oh, well, you will someday." Kate rubbed Kerry's stomach, and the baby kicked twice; _hard_. "OH!"

"Oh, crap, that hurt!" Kerry winced and clutched her stomach just as the doctor walked in, closely followed by Bridget, Jim, Cj, and Rory.

"Hey, sis, how's it going?" Bridget asked.

"Not as good as before," Kerry replied, laying her head back on her pillows and sighing.

"Kerry, how are your contractions?" Doctor Davidson asked.

"They're getting closer together."

"Well, that's good. You're getting closer to being ready to deliver." The doctor walked around Kerry's bed and checked the IV drip. "This is kind of off subject, but do you have any names picked out for the baby yet?"

Kerry shook her head. "To tell you the truth, I haven't even really thought about it. It just didn't seem really pertinent until… well… _now_."

"That's understandable. You're only sixteen," the doctor replied. She turned away from the IV drip and smiled kindly at Kerry. "If there's anything you need, just tell me, okay?"

"Alright." Kerry smiled back.

"Well, I'll leave you and your family alone now. I'll be back when its time." With that, Doctor Davidson walked toward the door.

"Oh, wait!" Kerry exclaimed.

"Yes, Kerry?"

"Can I have a phone or something? I need to call my boyfriend."

"Um, actually, cell phones aren't allowed in the hospital, but someone can call for you if you'd like," she offered.

"Bridget, could you call Kyle for me and ask him to come?" Kerry asked her big sister.

"Sure, sweetie." Bridget patted her sister's shoulder and stood up from her chair. "I'll be back in a sec, 'k?"

"Thank you!" Kerry exclaimed cheerfully as Bridget followed Doctor Davidson out the door. "Oh, and could you tell him to come as soon possible?"

"Mmhmmm!" The door closed shut behind the two women.

"How are you, Kerry?" Rory asked, replacing Bridget in the chair next to Kate.

"I'm okay, Rory. Thanks for asking," Kerry replied and reached out for his hand, which he took.

"Sorry to interrupt this lovey-dovey family moment, but, um, you _do_ know that I won't be in this room when you're, like, giving birth, right?" Cj interrupted.

Kerry glared at her cousin, who was sitting across the room by the door. "Are you in such a hurry to get out that you are sitting in the chair closest to the door?" she asked, beginning to get pissed.

"Uh, yeah."

"Thanks for being so _supportive_." Kerry yanked her hand out of Rory's and laid them on the top of her stomach.

Taking a deep breath, Cj stood up and walked over to his pregnant cousin's bedside. "Listen, Kerry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I just, really don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. I've never been in this situation before."

"That's okay, Cj," Kerry sighed.

Jim, Rory and Kate all exchanged incredulous glances.

"Wait, did Kerry just forgive Cj?" Rory asked.

"Oh, shut up!" Kerry cried and playfully slapped her little brother's shoulder.

"Oh, why did I have to miss Kerry slapping Rory?" Bridget whined as she walked back through the door.

"Cause you were doin' me a favor," Kerry said in a silly little girl voice.

"What are you so happy and cheery about? You're _never _this happy and nice, even when you're not pregnant," Bridget said.

Kerry narrowed her eyes. "Don't make me kill you."

"Oh, crap. She _will_ kill me, you guys _do_ know that, right?" Bridget said.

The entire room erupted in laughter, even Kerry, for they all knew that if she was angry enough, she wouldn't hesitate to follow up on her promise.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the laughter stopped as Kerry suddenly sucked in a breath and clutched her stomach.

"What is it, honey?" Kate asked nervously.

Slowly turning her head to look at her mother, Kerry whispered, "It's time."


	12. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten- A New Beginning

"You did amazing, sweetie!" Kate whispered to her youngest daughter, tears streaming down her face.

Kerry could not tear her eyes away from the small bed across the room with nurses buzzing around it, doting on a baby girl; _her_ baby girl. She could not have imagined that that awful Bruno could give her something so beautiful.

Without looking away from where her baby was, she said to her mother, "Mom, I wanna hold her."

"Okay, baby, I'll go and get her for you." Her mother dashed away to the crowd of nurses. The spot which she had occupied a few moments ago was instantly replaced by a hysterically crying Bridget.

"Kerry…" was all she could say before she fell on top of her little sister and hugged her.

"Bridget, you're hurting me," Kerry muttered. She still had not taken her eyes away from her baby, who was now being lifted out of the little baby bed and being wrapped in a little pink blanket.

Composing herself, Bridget straightened up and wiped her eyes. "Kyle's here, Kerry."

This news made Kerry's eyes shoot away from her baby and straight up at Bridget. "Why isn't he right here, then?" she asked.

"Well, he came just as you were having her, but the doctors wouldn't let him come in."

"He can come in now, though, right?"

"Yeah. He can. I'll go get him." Sniffling, Bridget hurried out of the room to retrieve Kyle.

"Here she is, Kerry." Kerry immediately looked back towards her baby girl when she heard her mother's voice and saw her walking towards her, holding a small, squirming baby in her arms. "She's beautiful," Kate whispered as she reached Kerry.

Kerry sat, frozen, unsure of what to do.

"Hold out your arms, honey. She knows you're here," Kate said.

Kerry did just as she was told, her entire body focused on not dropping the baby. As soon as her baby was in her arms, Kerry clutched her close and started to cry. The little girl reached up and poked her mother's face, grabbed her red hair.

Hearing a door slowly open, Kerry looked up to see Bridget and Kyle standing, hand-in-hand, in the doorway. Kerry smiled at her boyfriend. "Come and see her."

Kyle let go of Bridget's hand and walked over to Kerry. He looked down at Kerry and slowly lifted a hand and brushed it over the baby girl's head.

"What do I do?" he asked Kerry. Kerry began to laugh, tears still pouring down her face.

"I don't know, Kyle," she replied. "I really don't know."

After a few minutes of Kyle standing there, stroking the baby's head, Kerry finally broke the silence. "You want to hold her?" Kyle nodded. "Okay, um, sit down right here." Kerry pointed at the chair closest to her bed, which Kyle pulled closer and sat down in. "Alright, now, don't drop her. Here you go."

Kerry reluctantly handed over her child to Kyle, who took her in his arms and pulled her close up against his chest. She grabbed at his shirt and started to yawn.

"She yawned," Kyle said, smiling.

Kerry began to cry all over again at the sight before her.

"What?" Kyle asked, looking up.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that seeing you holding her makes me feel so… so happy."

"Have you named her yet?" Kyle asked.

"No, not yet."

Kerry looked up to see entire family standing in the doorway, looking in on them. "Do you guys wanna come in?" she asked.

Bridget and Kate were the first ones to come to a stop next to Kerry and Kyle, closely followed by the other three.

"Hey, Kerry, can I hold her?" Bridget asked hesitantly.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Kerry exclaimed. "Kyle, let Bridget hold her."

"'K." Kyle stood up and carefully handed the baby girl to her aunt.

"Hi, honey!" Bridget said, looking down at her new baby niece. "You're so pretty!"

"Yeah, she is," Rory agreed.

Kerry settled down further into her bed, comforted by the sight of her family all wanting to see and hold her baby girl. After no time at all, she had drifted off to sleep.


	13. Epilogue

Epilogue- Four Years Later

"Kyle, come on! We're leaving!" Kerry yelled up the stairs.

"Coming!"

"Oh, that husband of mine…" Kerry muttered. Turning away from the staircase, she caught her daughter trying to sneak a cookie from the cupboard.

"Ryleigh!" The little girl immediately dropped the cookie and jumped off the counter.

"Ugh, sweetie, I told you! No cookies before we left for Grandma's!"

"Sorry, mommy!" Ryleigh said in her little voice. Hanging her head, she trotted over to her mother and hugged her around the leg. "I won't ever do it again!"

"That's what you said the last four times, baby," Kerry pointed out. "And you haven't stopped."

Kerry had a hard time staying mad at her daughter for long. She had always been a person who was easily angered and could hold grudges against someone for record periods of time. Then everything had changed when Ryleigh was born. She had felt like everything had just fallen into place when her little girl came into the world.

"Okay, let's go!" Kyle exclaimed as he came bounding down the stairs.

"Daddy!" Ryleigh wiggled out of Kerry's arms, ran over and jumped into Kyle's arms.

Kerry was so immensely relieved that Kyle had become father figure for Ryleigh. Just after Ryleigh had turned one, Kyle proposed to Kerry, and she said yes. He had officially adopted Ryleigh as his own child when she turned two. They got married a year and a half later. Kerry's grandfather had given her away at her wedding since her father couldn't, but she was so happy Jim had agreed to it. Bridget was the maid of honor, Rory was the best man, and Ryleigh was the ring bearer. It was perfect.

"Okay, um, meet me in the car. I've just got to grab my bag and the food," Kerry said.

"Alright. Let's go, Ryleigh!" Kyle led Ryleigh out the front door.

Walking through the living room on the way to the kitchen, Kerry glanced at all the pictures hanging on the walls and standing on tables and the fireplace mantle. They were from all different stages of her life, Kyle's life, and Ryleigh's life.

"Where'd that damn bag get to… Oh, there it is!" Kerry picked up her purse from the island in the kitchen and opened the fridge to get the food to bring to her mother's barbeque.

Hearing a loud honking from outside, Kerry hurriedly shut the fridge door and ran out to the car.

"You know, it really wasn't necessary for you to honk," Kerry said as she climbed into the passenger's seat. "I was coming."

"You were the one who was hurrying me out of the house in the first place," Kyle retorted as he backed the car out of the driveway.

When they pulled up in front of Kate Hennessy's house forty-five minutes later, they were greeted by a flurry of activity. The front door opened and Kate was standing in the doorway, waving to her daughter and son-in-law.

"Grandma!" Ryleigh exclaimed from the backseat. "Mommy! Undo my seatbelt!"

"Be polite, Ryleigh," Kerry warned as she opened the back door and unbuckled her daughter from her car seat.

"Okay. Sorry," Ryleigh said, hopping down from the car and rushing up the walkway and into the arms of her grandmother.

"Hi, mom!" Kerry said as she and Kyle followed their daughter up the walkway.

"How are you, honey?" Kate asked as she embraced her youngest daughter.

"I'm fine. You?"

"A little tired, but that just comes with getting older."

Kerry patted her mother's shoulder as she walked past her and into her childhood home. Rory was sprawled out on the couch in front of the TV, flicking through the channels. He was now in his senior year in high school, and he was taller than Bridget.

"You lazy ass. Get up!" Kerry commanded, smacking the back of her little brother's head as she passed him.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Rory cried, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, it was just for old time's sake."

Kerry looked around at the living room where she had spent her entire childhood. It still pretty much looked the same, except for the pictures. They had changed. There was one of Kerry and Kyle at their wedding, and Bridget at her own wedding. Bridget married a man named Nick Jones, whom she met at Princeton. Kerry chuckled to herself as she thought of Bridget's married name, had she changed it.

"Bridget Jones… haha…" Kerry placed the Tupperware bowl on the counter and turned around when she heard another car pull up in the driveway. Walking back out the front door, Kerry recognized her elder sister's car as it came to a stop just behind hers.

Nick came out of the driver's seat and went around to open the passenger's door for Bridget. Since Kerry had last seen her sister, she had gotten even more pregnant. She looked like she was about to burst.

Kerry folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the doorframe.

"Hey Bridget! Who's the house now?" she yelled to her sister.

"Oh, shut up!" Bridget yelled back.

"Hi, sweetie!" Kate said as Bridget slowly made her way up the driveway. "How are you holding up?" she asked, hugging her eldest daughter.

"I'm good. My back is just killing me!" Bridget replied.

"Well, come one. Let's get you inside and sitting down," Kate suggested.

"Hey, what about me? Does little sister get a hug?" Kerry asked as Bridget walked by.

"Of course she does!" Bridget did the best she could at bending down and trying to give her baby sister a hug. "Okay, this won't work. Come over to my side and give me a hug from there!"

After everyone said their hellos and who are yous, Kyle and Nick started cooking the food.

"When'll Cj be here, mom?" Kerry asked.

"He said he'd be here around two, so he should be here soon," Kate said, looking at the clock.

"And where's Grandpa?" Bridget asked, looking around.

"He's still asleep."

"Well, that's a shock," Kerry said sarcastically.

"So, Kerry, how's night school going?" Kate asked, sitting down next across from her daughters. Since Kerry had to raise Ryleigh, she had been forced to have to go to night classes to complete college. When Ryleigh was a little older, she planned to go back to college and get her Master's degree.

"It's going good. I've got this paper due in two days and I've barely scratched the surface, so I've got to get done. Other than that, yeah, it's good."

A loud honking was heard from outside as Cj pulled up in his doorless green '98 Jeep. He and his fiancé, Cassandra, stepped out of it and came inside.

"Hey, Cj! Hi, Cassie!" everyone said.

"Hey, peoples," Cj replied as he closed the door behind them.

No one could be mad at him anymore. He finally got his life together and is getting married in a few months. That's more than anyone ever thought would happen for hi.

Now, with everyone she could possibly want around her in one house, together, Kerry felt complete. Though some of them could get unbearably annoying at times, they were family, and that was all Kerry needed.

**Sorry if the end was kinda mushy. I had to finish the last bit up real quick cause my mom's gonna kill me if I don't go to bed soon. I don't know why I named the baby Ryleigh. I just like that name and the way it's spelled. I hope you enjoyed reading my story! It would be awesome if I could get this great a response for my other stories. Please R & R!! **


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